


you're too young to be quite so sad (young man, don't leave us just yet)

by sladeninstitute



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-27
Updated: 2014-02-27
Packaged: 2018-01-13 22:51:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1243513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sladeninstitute/pseuds/sladeninstitute
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim Kirk's at the end of his rope, ready to jump off a building and end his life. Leonard McCoy stumbles upon him on his lunch break and immediately starts trying to save the kid from a bad mistake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you're too young to be quite so sad (young man, don't leave us just yet)

Jim took one last drag off the cigarette, then dropped it off the roof, realizing that now was a good a time as any to jump. He stood up, taking that one final step towards the edge. He paused to look down, watching the cars and the people below move about. Part of him wondered where they were going. Did they have important things to do? Could they see him up here? How badly traumatised would they be once his body hit the pavement? Jim sure hoped nobody got traumatised because of him. Nobody else deserved to get hurt (mentally or physically) because of Jim Kirk.

That’s the whole reason that he was taking himself out of the equation. He didn’t want to hurt anyone else. More importantly, he didn’t want anybody else hurting him. Jim’d had enough of that. Back home in Riverside, back in Tarsus, and right there in Atlanta. He couldn’t deal, not any more.

“S’a long fall, wouldn’tcha say?” The voice from behind Jim startled him enough that he turned around on the spot. Jim hadn’t heard the access door open, but sure enough, a man stood there. The door was slowly shutting behind him until it finally closed with a hiss and the click of a latch. Again, he repeated his words.

“S’a long fall, wouldn’tcha say?” The voice was accented, clearly Southern, just like every other voice Jim had heard in the past month in Atlanta. It was gruff, too, but there was that undertone of someone actually giving a shit that made Jim want to hear more. Hell, it was the first time in aeons that anyone had actually given a shit about good old Jim Kirk.

“Yeah. It’s at least 400 feet.” Jim knew that it was exactly a 410 foot drop, but he decided to keep that knowledge to himself. He didn’t want to sound to eager. The other man only responded with a low whistle.

“Shit. Been workin’ here for six years and I never woulda guessed that it was 400 feet.” He chuckled. “Hell, I just knew it was tall. The kinda tall you don’t mess with, y’know?”

“I guess?” Jim didn’t quite know what to make of the new arrival. There was part of him that acknowledged that this man was good looking. Windswept brown hair, tall as sin, murky eyes that were as green as they were brown, that Southern twang that hit Jim in all the right places, not to mention the fact that the man obviously didn’t know how to button a damn shirt right. Jim could practically see all of the guy’s chest. And of course, there was the part of Jim that wanted to do what he’d come up here to do, all Earthly attachments be damned. He could always abandon the conversation, turn right around, and fall. He was contemplating doing just that when he was interrupted.

“You gonna jump?”

“I’ve been thinking about it.”

“You shouldn’t. And I’m not just sayin’ that because I’d be traumatised or anythin’. People are gonna miss you.”

That got a snort out of Jim, who rolled his eyes.

“Ain’t nobody left to miss me.” He hoped that was enough to shut the conversation down.

“I’d miss you.”

“Man, you don’t even know my name.”

“I’d know it if you told me. I’m Leonard McCoy. I work downstairs as an X-ray technician. Spend all day lookin’ at bones. You are?” He held out a hand, daring Jim to step away from the edge so he could shake it.

Jim took a long moment to think. Talking to his man any further was only going to take him further and further away from his goal. Did he really want to get attached to this guy? He seemed nice enough. But then again, so did everybody back in Tarsus. And Frank seemed nice enough before he whooped my ass every day for ten years. This guy’s just gonna hurt you, Jim. And hell, if he doesn’t hurt you, you’ll hurt him. Don’t get involved.

“Jim Kirk.” He didn’t move. He was going to need more proof that this guy was alright before he came away from the edge.

“Alright, Jim. Pleased to meet you.” He put his hand back down by his side, looking around the empty rooftop. “Wanna tell me what you’re doin’ up here? I mean, I know what you’re doin’ up here, but why this building?”

Jim shook his head.

“Why don’t you tell me what you’re doing up here first?”

“Fair enough. I’m up here to eat my lunch. Come up here every day. Too much gossip down in the cafeteria on floor six.”

“So you’re not up here just for me?” Jim relaxed. He was afraid that the building’s security team had sent the man up there to talk him down.

“Nah. I mean, I didn’t come up here just for you. But now that I’m here and you’re there, figured I might as well talk to you. How am I doin’? You wanna jump any less?”

The answer was yes, but Jim wasn’t going to tell him that. He kept silent.

Leonard wasn’t having that. There was already a plan formulating in that head of his, and he took the first step to acting on it.

“Listen, do you want half of my sandwich?”

“What?”

“It’s turkey on rye. My favourite. I’m willing to share with you.”

Jim’s stomach answered on queue, and Jim nodded meekly. Leonard knew that this was about the only chance he had to make a difference. Words were only gonna last him so long before that poor boy turned around and leapt right off the side of the building. He started rummaging around in his lunch bag until he found the sandwich he’d mentioned. He broke it in half and held out part of it to Jim.

Leonard thanked his lucky stars that Jim actually stretched out his hand and leaned forward to take it. In one swift motion, Leonard grabbed Jim by the wrist and pulled him away from the edge and into a tight hug. He was already stepping backwards toward the access door. He wanted to get Jim away from the roof as soon as he possibly could.

“M’not gonna let you jump. Life’s too precious. You’re too precious. M’gonna get you the help you need, okay?”

Unlike everyone else that had ever told him anything similar, Jim actually believed this man.

“OK.” Jim hated how vulnerable he sounded, but he couldn’t help it. The guy, Leonard, Bones, whatever his name was, actually cared about him. Didn’t want him to jump. It was enough to make any guy vulnerable.

“Will you stay with me? Through all this, I mean. Getting help. I don’t wanna do it alone.” Jim looked up at Leonard through his eyelashes, feeling like any sort of rejection right then and there would crush what little fight he had then and there.

“I will. I’ll be there every step of the way. You got any place to stay?”

“No. Let my lease expire. Thought it wasn’t gonna matter after today.”

“You’re crashin’ with me, kid. I’ve got a spare room and it’s yours. No strings attached.”

“Thank you so much.”

“You can thank me by gettin’ better. That’s the only thanks I’ll ever need.”

Leonard turned around slightly, never letting go of Jim, so that he could get the access door open. He only let go of most of Jim’s body once they were in the stairwell, although he was still gripping tightly onto Jim’s hand.

“You gonna be okay? We gotta stop by floor six and then we’re leaving to find you some help.”

“I think I’m gonna be okay, now. I’ve got shit to work through and it’s gonna take awhile, but at least I won’t be alone.”

Leonard let out a sigh of relief and squeezed the younger man’s hand.

“Damn right you won’t be alone. I said every step of the way and I meant it.”

“I know you did. I trust you, Bones.”

“Bones?” Leonard looked the slightest bit confused.

“You said you look at bones all day. Hence the nickname.”

“Alright, I can live with that. It’s better than Len. That’s a godawful nickname.”

Jim chuckled.

“Yeah, that is pretty bad.”

“Let’s get goin’. No time to waste.”

“After you, Bones.”

Leonard led the way, not only to floor six, but to a brighter future for the both of them.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm pretty proud of this work! My only complaint is that I couldn't come to an end that really pleased me, so I just did what I could.


End file.
